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Sunday, May 8, 2016

3 militants killed in Pulwama; thousands
attend funeral

Residents clash with forces. In two days of
inauguration, special and ordinary train services grounded in Kashmir

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

________

SRINAGAR, May 7: Three local militants of Hizbul Mujahideen were
killed in an encounter by security forces on Saturday in Pulwama district of South
Kashmir where hundreds of residents clashed with Central Reserve Police Force
(CRPF) and thousands attended the slain militants’ funeral amid anti-India and
pro-Pakistan demonstrations.

Informed sources revealed to STATE TIMES that Special Operations Group
(SOG) of Srinagar District Police, in coordination with SOG Awantipora and
troops of Rashtriya Rifles 44th battalion, launched a
cordon-and-search operation at Punzgam village that falls in Revenue District
Pulwama and Police District Awantipora, late on Friday night. According to the
specific information available with SOG Srinagar, a group of three young
militants of Hizbul Mujahideen was hiding in the village.

In the wee hours on Saturday, the holed up militants opened fire on
the troops when they found Army, CRPF and SOG laying a cordon. Troops
retaliated and all the three militants got killed with suffering any collateral
damage. Three AK rifles were seized beside the bodies.

Officials identified the slain militants as Ashfaq Ahmad Baba S/o
Ghulam Hassan Baba R/o Tahab, Ishfaq Ahmad Dar S/o Ghulam Hassan Dar R/o
Dogripora and Haseeb Ahmad Pala S/o Ghulam Nabi Pala R/o Brao Bandina. Even as
the officials maintained that all the three belonged to Hizbul Mujahideen, some
knowledgeable sources insisted that Pala was a militant with Lashkar-e-Tayyiba.
Officials said that Ashfaq and Ishfaq had joined militancy in 2014 while as
Pala had joined in 2015.

Sources said that sensing trouble authorities imposed restrictions
on the human movement early in the morning in half of Pulwama and Awantipora
Police districts to pre-empt massive demonstrations and attacks on Police and
security forces. Curfew-like situation prevailed in the whole area for the
whole day. Reports said that scores of youths came out on the streets and
directed intermittent attacks on a company headquarter of CRPF 184 Bn at Tahab.
Police and CRPF exercised restraint and dispersed the crowds with aerial firing
and tearsmoke.

Still, around 5,000 people participated in Ashfaq Ahmad Baba’s
funeral prayers and procession at Tahab and 3,000 each in the funeral of Ishfaq
Ahmad Dar and Haseeb Pala at Dogripora and Brao Bandina. Reports said that the
demonstrators shouted anti-India, pro-Azadi and pro-Pakistan slogans. At least
six demonstrators and paramilitary soldiers sustained injuries. Due to the
turbulence, authorities froze all the train services---including the special
trains inaugurated by Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti in Anantnag two days back---on
Banihal-Baramulla track in Kashmir.

Officials put the number of the participants in the funeral at Tahab at 1,500. They claimed
that lesser number of people attended the slain militants’ funeral at Dogripora
and Brao Bandina.